Broward County School Board to discuss future of building where mass shooting occurred

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Broward County School Board is meeting Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale to discuss the future of Building 12, where the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre happened in February 2018.

The building is an emotional reminder of the mass shooting in Parkland in which 17 people were shot and killed.

Plans have long been in place to demolish the building, and that’s still the plan, but the building is still standing because prosecutors say the crime scene is still evidence and should remain standing through the length of the criminal trial.

But many in the Parkland community say it’s time for the building to go. Regardless of when it gets demolished, plans now are to move forward on the restoration and construction of a new structure at the location.

The new addition is set to cost about $18 million. The funding will include construction of 30 classrooms, offices and teacher planning spaces.

The school board is taking up approval of that plan and the cost. Once that’s approved, that’s the first step in securing bids for the building process.

But it still remains unclear when the building that brings back so many painful memories will finally come down.